Means for protecting dams



April 28, 1931. s D HENRY MEANS FOR PROTECTING DAMS Filed June 29, 1928 INVENTOR 5 W 3. He 71/719 BY Z ATTORNEY 11 i a Kw;

Patented Apr. 28, 1931 nrrn TATES PATENT mm SKELTON D. HENRY, OF HOUSTON', TEXAS MEANS FOR rnorno-rme DAMS Application filed June 29, 1928. Serial No. 289,269.

This invention relates to dams, and is more wall and its facing showing the manner of particularly concerned with a method of and anchoring the. apron of matted fiber to the means for protecting the same against rupdam wall, the overlying solid protective turing crevasses and excessive seepage. sheathing at the upper edge of the apron and The pressure of the head of water impoundthe overlying silt penetrable screening there- 5:)

ed by the dam wall against the small crebelow. vasses or cracks which form in the walls of Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal secdams is, in the case of large dams, so tremention through a portion of the dam wall and dous that the crevasse, unl ss protected, will flexible fiber apron illustrating the crevasse l0 gradually be enlarged to the rupture point. caulking or plugging action of the apron Excessive seepage of water through and fiber under pressure of the impounded water beneath the base of the dam walls will ultihead. A I c mately undermine the foundations, and weak- The wall 1 of the dam which, as shown, is en the dam to the danger point. This is esof concrete and of the conventional triangupecially true and the liability of rupture is lar type has its inner or reservoir face 2 proproportionately great in the cases of dam 'tected by an apron '3 of matted fibrous matewalls impounding large volumes of Water rial, preferably matted excelsior impregnated which exert tremendous pressure and by rea with creosote or other preservative and exson of this pressure augment the penetration tending from the upper edge of the dam of the water and resultant seepage. wall 1 downwardly overvits reservoir face 2 To A feature of the invention is the method of and over the adjacent floor of the reservoir and means for caulking crevasses and preto which it is anchored by suitable superposed venting rupture of the dam wall which conweights such as large rock, scrap iron or conv sists in facing the reservoir side of the dam crete. This apron of fiber is anchored to wall with a flexible apron of caulking matethe reservoir face of the dam wall by means rial which may advantageously consist of of a series of hooks 5 having their shanks immatted fiber anchored to the dam wall. bedded in the wall land their hooked ends A further feature of the invention consists imbedded in the mat of fiber. The face of in the method of and means for automaticalthe upper end of the apron is protected ly caulking crevasses and preventing excessive against damage by debris, ice, etc, floating on 80 seepage which consists in facing the reserthe surface of the impounded water by means voir side of the dam wall and the adjacent of'a solid protective sheathing strip 6 suitfloor of the reservoir with a flexible apron ably anchored to the face of the apron and of matted fiber, such as creosote impregnated supported by appropriate means such as the excelsior, having the function of caulking underlying ends of'long hooked rods 7 simicrevasses developing in the face of the dam lar to but of greater length than the anchorwall and of pcnetrability by siltto form a ing hooks '5 and similarly imbedded in the protective flooring or facing resisting and redam wall. ducing seepage. From the lower edge of the solid sheathing 40 The invention as developed in detail will be 6 downwardly to and over the apron overlymore clearly apparent from the following (16- ing the adjacent reservoir fioor, the face of tailed specification which is to be read in conthe apron is overlaid by a flexible permeable junction with the accompanying drawings sheathing such as galvanized wire netting 8, forming part thereof and in which permitting penetration of the apron mat by Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section the impounded water and the filling of the 1n- 93 through a dam wall and reservoir floor showterstices of the fiber by silt to form a layer or ing the method of and means for protection apron resisting the seepage of water thereagainst rupturing crevasses and seepage. through, thereby preventing excess seepage.

Figure 2 is a vertical section on an enlarged The fibrous mat 3 with its overlying netting scale through the upper portion of the dam or sheathing screen 8 forms a flexible apron,

the fibrous material constituting an effective caulking or crevasse plugging material. In the event, crevasses such as indicated at 9 in Figure 3, form in the face of the dam Wall, the pressure of the head of the 1mpounded Water against the flexible apron will force the fibrous material of the apron into the crevasses or cracks 9, automatically caulking or plugging the same as sngg'ested'in Figure 3. The silt deposited in and serving to fill up the interstices of the fibers Will act also i to shield the crevasse or crack against the pressure head of the impounded Water and Will cooperate with the fiber forced in the crevasse effectively to plug the opening.

The material of the protective apron may vary Within reasonably Wide limits. I have specifically noted excelsior protected and indurat-ed by creosote or similar impregnation since this material is readily obtained and treated and may be obtained in the large quantities needed for this Work. Other materials of a fibrous nature which may be given indurating treatment and matted to form 'a protective flexible apron, may of course, be used in lieu of vexcelsior. Such a fiber 'mat may easily be forced into a crevasse by the pressure head of the impounded Water and is aided by the mud and silt deposited therein by the Water to effectively caulk crevasses and cracks as they are formed in the dam Wall.

What I claim therefore and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A Water retaining Wall having a flexible apron of matted excelsior overlying thevvater face thereof and anchored to said Wall and to the adjacent floor of the Water bed, and a sheathing plate extending across the upper edge of the apron and protecting the same against injury by floating dbris.

2. A water retaining all having a flexible apron of matted excelsior overlying the Water face thereof and covered by an overlaid flexl ible metallic netting permeable by Water and V silt and anchored to said Wall and to the ad jacent floor of the Water bed to retain the apron against the Wall face, and a solid protective sheathing strip extending across and held against the top of said apron to protect the same against damage by floating dbris.

SKELTON D. HENRY; 

